I spent a weekend with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, and I became more of a fan

The Galaxy Z Flip lineup has been the most popular of Samsung’s foldable devices, and its appeal is clear — who can’t benefit from a device with all the functionalities of a regular smartphone that can also shape-shift into a smaller phone for everyday ease? 

Also: My first 24 hours with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 left me completely mesmerized

With its latest addition to the lineup, the Galaxy Z Flip 7, Samsung leaned into the phone’s most attractive feature, making it even more portable with a slimmer design, while also more capable, with the intent to improve user experience for power users and everyday users alike. 

However, at $1,099, the Z Flip 7 is still in the higher price range of phones. To determine whether it’s worth your money, I replaced my daily driver, an iPhone 16 Pro, with the Z Flip 7 for the entire weekend — the results left me pleasantly surprised. Let’s dive right in.

Highly anticipated FlexWindow refresh  

The most visible, and perhaps anticipated, change is the FlexWindow (the outer screen). The screen is now larger, spanning from one corner of the phone to the other, with the bezels barely visible — a big upgrade from its predecessor, as seen in the photo above. Not only is it most aesthetically pleasing to look at, resembling the look of the Moto Razr 60 Ultra, but it is also more practical. 

The 4.1-inch FlexWindow is also brighter, with 2,600 nits of peak brightness and a smoother 120Hz refresh rate. It also has VisionBooster, a feature that enhances outdoor visibility, making it the brightest and highest-functioning FlexWindow yet. When using the Z Flip 7 on my many walks this weekend, I was able to look at the screen with no strain, even with the NYC sun beating down on my phone and reflecting off the pavement and every shiny building in the city.

Also: I changed 10 Samsung phone settings to significantly improve the user experience

So, why does this make it a win? To get more than just nostalgia out of the clamshell design, you need to be able to use the outer screen for basic tasks, and the larger screen and faster refresh rate make it tempting to forgo opening your phone. 

Within the first 24 hours with the phone, I found myself using the cover screen to do basic tasks such as taking photos, viewing notifications, and even looking up information, more than with the past models. This is likely because on the older models, the limited screen size and less smooth refresh rate weren’t really enticing for me to stop opening the phone. 

After an entire weekend, I noticed that I was leaning on the cover screen so much that it actually deterred me from my typical, not ideal, phone usage habits. These include accidentally doom-scrolling on social media every time I go to look at a notification, which I found to be a major win. 

Of course, you can work around this by using the Good Lock app and adding social media apps to your cover screen, and with the bigger screen, you may actually be able to have a decent experience. I also found the cover screen useful for accessing the latest AI features, which leads me to the next section.

Easier AI access

If you care about AI on your mobile device, this cover screen makes it easier to get the immediate assistance you want without even opening your phone. Gemini Live is now accessible on the cover screen, whether through a long press of the side button or through the app. It can answer questions quickly for you on the go or access apps that take action for you, such as creating a note or adding a calendar event. 

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE hands-on: The ‘cheaper’ foldable phone got me very confused

If you often use multimodal AI assistance, like I do, you will be happy to learn that you can now share the camera right from your FlexWindow — meaning you prop your phone up and use the camera to get multimodal Gemini assistance from Gemini Live. 

Now, instead of having to prop my iPhone 16 Pro on a water bottle or other item to fully take advantage of the multimodal assistance, I can just open the phone and set it on the nearest surface to ask a question. The clamshell design also makes it easier to take photos or watch videos, unlocking a range of experiences you typically wouldn’t have with a standard brick phone. 

You can also access a Personalized Now Bar and Now Brief from the cover screen, a feature previously limited to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This makes it easy to get a quick rundown of personalized insights such as weather, event summaries, and news. Beyond these, One UI 8 brings other helpful AI features such as improved photo and audio editing. 

Additionally, the purchase of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 will also come with six months of Google AI Pro, which retails for $19.99 a month. The plan gives you access to some of Google’s most advanced AI offerings, including more access to Google’s most capable model, Gemini 2.5 Pro; Flow, Google’s AI filmmaking tool built with Veo 3 Fast, which makes hyper-realistic videos; and more. 

If you are big into AI, this is clearly a good way to access some of the latest, or have been wanting to try it, the Z Flip 7 makes it easier to explore its advanced features. 

More power in a slimmer package

The Flip 7 is thinner, coming in at 13.7mm thick, compared to last year’s 14.9 mm. While the difference in measurements may seem minimal, it is visibly less chunky, as seen in the image below. This makes it more comfortable to slip into your pocket, minimizing the uncomfortable feeling of having two tiny phones stacked on top of each other. 

Even though it is slimmer, Samsung didn’t compromise on key components, including a larger inner display of 6.9 inches, compared to the 6.7-inch screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and a larger 4,300mAh battery (up from 4,000mAh) that can handle up to 31 hours of video playback time, according to Samsung. 

Throughout the weekend, I had no issue with having it last an entire day, and, in fact, I was actually ending my days with a minimum of 30% left. In part, I attribute the extended battery life to the fact that, as mentioned above, I was spending significantly less time on my phone since the cover screen told me most of what I needed to know. 

Instead of the expected Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Z Flip 7 is powered by the Exynos 2500, the first 3nm in-house processor, released just two weeks ago. The performance differences between both chipsets shouldn’t be noticeable, other than the in-house processor enables new experiences such as DeX support on the Z Flip for the first time, allowing users to plug their phone into a monitor and use it like a desktop computer.  

Also: Your Android phone and watch are getting a major upgrade for free – Samsung models included

Back to the screen: When I first heard of the screen increase, compared to the other specs, it got drowned in the noise. However, after having used it for a weekend and scrolling on social media, although less than usual, I remembered how much I really enjoyed using a phone with a larger screen. 

Typically, what turns me off larger screen models is having a yet bulkier device to carry around — hence why I purchased the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro versus the 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max. With the Z Flip 7, I was able to take advantage of a 6.9-inch screen for my TikTok scrolls, while at most times using a 4.1-inch phone. Not comparing the two devices to each other, as they appeal to different audiences and use cases, but putting the screen size into perspective. 

It has the same camera specs as last year, with a 50MP wide-angle and a 12MP ultrawide sensor. In last year’s Z Flip 6, this camera system was a major boost from the Z Flip 5, and ZDNET’s review found that while it didn’t offer flagship-tier performance, it was still a capable system, excelling in well-lit conditions and producing vibrant, detailed photos. 

Samsung also claims to have made upgrades to the image processing, including Enhanced Nightography and 10-bit HDR for more detailed videos, which should boost and differentiate the camera’s quality from the preceding model. I took a range of photos this weekend, from my walks, errands, hang-outs, and more, and was satisfied with the results. Below are some photos I took in different light conditions and settings so you can take a look for yourself.

Also: Verizon will give a free Samsung foldable phone right now – how to qualify for the deal

Overall, over the last weekend, I have genuinely enjoyed my experience with the Flip 7. The biggest standout in the limited time was the larger cover screen, which made it easy for me to keep the phone closed. Overall, Samsung upgraded the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s specs in almost every way, but stay tuned to ZDNET for my deeper dive into the phone, where I’ll be putting it through more strenuous testing, specifically looking for longer-range performance, like its battery and camera.

If interested in purchasing it, you can preorder yours for a starting price of $1,099, with several promotions and offers already active. The colors include Coralred, Jetblack, Blue Shadow, and the online-exclusive Mint, and storage sizes are 256GB to 512GB. 

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